Tell us about yourself: For more than 30 years I have operated one-person businesses. Twelve years of my life were spent managing federally-assisted housing programs for local government. I established a small publishing company to publish the books and a monthly newsletter and did consulting and public speaking on housing related topics for agencies and organizations in cities across the country. I wrote and published nine guidebooks on the subject of housing rehabilitation. When the federal housing programs dried up I owned and operated a woodworking business for over twenty years, first in Tampa, Florida and then in Austin, Texas. During these years I began writing books about my experiences. In 2007 I established my present publishing company, Positive Imaging, LLC. To date I have published sixteen paperback books and over a half dozen ebooks. My computer experience dates back almost twenty years and began in response to poor technical support for our computer. I used home study to acquire A+ and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Certifications. I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and moved to Austin, Texas in 1986, where I now live with my wife, Barbara Frances.What was your first book? The first book I wrote was a guide to housing rehabilitation that I was asked to write by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. It was a detailed guide on how to operate housing programs in local communities using federal funding.

What is your favorite genre to read? I enjoy reading mysteries but my favorite to write is business how-to. My latest book, which is about relationship, is a total departure from anything I’ve written before.

What is the best thing about being a writer? I gives me the opportunity to share things that I learned over many years with others.

What is the worst thing? When I don’t have enough time to write because of other work that needs to be done.

What do you see the direction of your future writing taking? Since I enjoy sharing what I have learned I plan to continue writing in the how to genre.What can we expect next? Give us a little taste. I want to write a detailed book on how to operate a financially successful, one person, home based business. Unlike many such books I want to focus on simple methods that will attract customers and allow you to have time for enjoyment instead of having to work all the time.

Just for fun I love to write so it’s fun but I also enjoy traveling. We recently returned from a wonderful trip to Paris.

Cat or dog person? I don’t have a pet but I like cats.

Favorite food? I love pizza but don’t get to eat it often any more so my favorite now is sausage of almost all kinds.

Favorite book? The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran because it had such a significant impact on my life.

Favorite movie? Doctor Zhivago, a powerful and unforgettable epic.Favorite vacation destination (you just have to want to go there) We just got back from Paris and we loved the great art and enjoyed walking throughout the city. Right now it’s my favorite.It was great getting to know about you. Now, I'm interested in the Relatonships book.

Relationship: Notes on Love, Mutual Respect, Boundaries, Marriage, and Divorce by A. William Benitez ~~~~~~~~~~~~~BLURB: When I decided to write this book on relationship, my wife Barbara was surprised and cautioned me by saying that she would not dare write such a book because it was such a varied topic with so many nuances. That scared me because she is certainly more qualified to write about relationship than I am. I hesitated for a while but then I jumped in. I have written about relationship before but was not satisfied with the results but now, for some unknown reason, I felt ready to tackle this huge topic and feel good about this book. I don’t see myself as an expert on relationship but I definitely have a lot to share that may be helpful to others. The book contains ten chapters including What is Love, What is A Good Relationship, Fostering and Nurturing Relationships, Harming Relationships, Mutual Respect, Boundaries, Marriage, Breakups and Divorce, Helpful Tips, Final Thoughts, plus a Preface and an Introduction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~EXCERPT

What Is Love? Love is essential in relationship so before writing this book I needed a clear definition of love. What is love? Asking that question of everyone you know and you would surely hear many different answers. I’m certain that would be the same if asking many writers on the topic. Clearly, coming up with a definition of love is no small task. Once you ask the question and come up with all those definitions of love, some will seem quite accurate and most will probably contain at least a kernel of truth. It would be no surprise if most individuals believed their definition was right on target and more accurate than most. Some may actually sound really good because they fit in with some of our own beliefs or feelings about love. In spite of our feelings, and how good some of these definitions sound to us, some of them may not ring true to a few of us because love’s nuances vary so much with each individual. In spite of all our efforts, love sometimes seems to defy any single definition. That’s the reason I was so hesitant to create my own definition of love, but I felt it was absolutely necessary to refer to one clear definition of love, with which I was comfortable, to write this book. Even though this wasn’t the first time I tried to develop a viable definition of love, it wasn’t any easier. With all my previous attempts it seemed that I always wound up describing what love isn't instead of what it is. That seemed like a much simpler task, but it just wasn’t enough to be part of this book and after several attempts I finally came up with the following definition. Definition of Love Love is caring for another person enough to want for her what she wants for herself, even if what she desires is not in your best interest. With a quick read this may seem like a simple, straightforward definition that most can accept. After all, most individuals would say they want what is best for their partner. When reading carefully, it becomes obvious that it’s not that simple because it’s not solely about what you want for your partner, it’s actually about what your partner wants for herself. It can still be simple if you want what your partner wants but what if she wants something you don’t believe is best. Would you be willing to accept what she wants? If you believe she’s making a mistake, perhaps you could be convincing enough to change her mind. But what if you fail? Would you be willing to accept her choice under those circumstances? Does this definition still seem simple to you? Things could become much more complicated and your answer may affect the long-term happiness of your relationship. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links: I spent most of my adult life self-employed after being born into the construction business. I worked with my father and then spent more than ten years as a general contractor, building homes and commercial buildings in Tampa, Florida. For more than twelve years, I worked as a government official running housing related programs for the City of Tampa and then operated a publishing and consulting business on housing rehabilitation. During this time, I testified on this subject before the Housing Sub Committee of the U.S. Congress. For several years, I operated an active woodworking business in Tampa, Florida and then in Austin, Texas. My cabinets, furniture, and carvings can be found in private homes, businesses, churches, and public buildings in both cities. In 1996, I began working for the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas and am now the IT Manager. In 2007 I established a new writing and publishing business called Positive Imaging, LLC and now write and publish how to books. My first marriage ended after 17 years and I remained single for 14 years before marrying Barbara. We have been married over twenty-three years and share a happy and healthy relationship. We now live in Austin, Texas. I learned a great deal from my first marriage and other relationships. However, my years with Barbara have been my most valuable learning and growing experience and definitely the happiest years of my life. All the information in this book is based on my first-hand experiences, a small amount of research, and discussions with other couples. I sincerely hope that you will find it of real value in your own relationships. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at: bill@positive-imaging.com

My relationship book is available on Amazon as print or kindle now but until Sept. 15th you can get an autographed copy for a special price and with free shipping from my site at: http://notesonrelationship.com . Thanks for checking out the book tour.

Reply

morgan k wyatt

9/3/2014 10:53:25 pm

I like the upbeat tone of both the book & your interview. There are more adult single (living alone) folks, then married because many can't handle a relationship. Doesn't mean they don't want one, just unsure how to maintain it. Thanks for your helpful book. Good luck.

Thanks Morgan, I know you're right about adult singles and you can't blame them for being cautious. A good relationship is a wonderful thing but a bad one can be a nightmare for a long time. It takes caring and effort to maintain healthy relationships.

Reply

Shirley Ann Speakman

9/3/2014 11:25:06 pm

The book sounds really interesting it is hard maintaining a relationship and many people do not want to put in the effort it takes.

Thanks Shirley, it does take an effort by both partners to maintain a relationship and it can be difficult. Sometimes it seems impossible and you may have to just give it up. Unfortunately there are relationships that just won't make it.

I love that the author first discusses why it is important that he define the word "love" before he gave us his definition because it does mean different things to different people. I have always believed that when people are going to be in relationships, they should find out how their potential girlfriend/boyfriend view love and not assume to know how they feel about it.

Thanks Stacy, It was difficult to come up with just one definition but it was important for the book to have one. You are right on target believing that it's critical to know what your prospective partner thinks about love. There is a lot of confusion around the word.